


lost chances

by euphorickiri



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: F/M, did someone order angst with a side of angst?, rina hive I'm sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:49:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23451235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/euphorickiri/pseuds/euphorickiri
Summary: gina couldn’t help but wonder how things could’ve been different if she never left.
Relationships: Ashlyn Caswell & E.J. Caswell & Gina Porter, Ricky Bowen & Gina Porter, Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	lost chances

Ricky Bowen was the first person in Gina’s life that she was genuinely intrigued by. She didn’t know a lot about him besides the fact that he was a skater, but when he came stumbling into the auditorium late with his guitar, Gina couldn’t help but take notice of him. He was an outsider like her, a wildcard. She didn’t know what to expect or make of him.

That’s when it started.

They never interacted when rehearsals started. The only form of communication between them was subtle glances and the occasional awkward smile if they saw each other outside of rehearsal. At first, Gina just wanted to use Ricky to get Nini to quit the show. She didn’t care about anything else but getting the lead in the musical at the time. She went to the skate-park to convince him to come back, her words meaningless and only used to get him to come back. 

_Outsiders keep everyone else on their toes. I mean it, you kept us real_

_You don’t need Carlos to tell you how to move. He bites other people’s styles. You have your own_

That changed the night of the homecoming dance. 

Ricky called her out, EJ was being an asshole, she was mad and wanted nothing more but to leave. But then he stopped her and drove her home, and the two teens realized they had a lot more in common than they originally thought. When Gina heard how much what she said meant to Ricky, she wished her words had good intentions instead of being used for something to get what she thought she wanted.

_You know I meant what I said at the skate-park, about you having your own style. I don’t even think I knew how much I meant it when I said it_

Gina didn’t know why she decided to kiss him. It was an impulse decision, and she doesn’t think she’ll ever forget the look on Ricky’s face after she did. He was shocked, but he had a look on his face that Gina couldn’t read. When she finally went inside her house, she silently wished she never had to leave his car.

_So do you care about Ricky?_

_And what if I do?_

After that night, she had completely forgotten about her plan and EJ. It didn’t seem as important to her anymore as it did to him. He was surprised when Gina got defensive about Ricky, and she surprised herself as well. She’s never really cared about anyone but herself for the longest time, but Ricky came into her life and changed that.

For the first time, Gina Porter had a friend.

_I kinda can’t forget about anything that happened at homecoming_

Ricky sang for her.

She saw how dejected he looked when everyone shot his idea down and didn’t want him to feel bad, so she asked him to perform for her. She smiled when he saw how nervous she was and felt herself blushing when he looked at her fondly as he continued to sing. The entire time Gina’s heart fluttered and she couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like if Ricky sang a song _about_ her. Something shifted between them at that moment, and Gina wished Ricky finished what he was going to say about homecoming, but Miss Jenn’s job was in jeopardy and they had to do something. 

When everyone went to Big Red’s and decided to perform at the trial to save Miss Jenn, Gina attempted to teach Ricky the dance and couldn’t help but tease him for messing up so much. He was just as flustered but he eventually got it, showing off to Gina once he got all the steps down. They were able to save Miss Jenn’s job and when Ricky picked her up and spun her around, Gina never wanted him to let go. 

Ricky Bowen was now not only her first friend, but her first crush.

_Honestly? You heard what happened. I don’t think there’s any point in calling anymore, do you?_

Ashlyn’s Thanksgiving Party.

That night still haunted her. Gina decided to be bold and ask Ricky to walk with her, and she even knit him a hat. She blushed in embarrassment when she realized how corny it was, but that didn’t stop her from stuffing the hat in her bag. Ricky was upset when she arrived, but it didn’t take her long to figure out why.

Ricky was the only other person in her life who knew what it feels like to live in a broken home, and if Gina could at least help him to forget about his problems for one night, then that’s what she was going to do.

Ricky put the hat on with a smile after he and Gina talked it out, and when she turned around, he looked at her as if she hung all the stars in the sky.

They joked around the entire walk to the party, and it was a little awkward when they talked to Nini at first, but things smoothed over and they had a lot of fun. Nini told her about the sleepover and even if Gina didn’t show it, she was ecstatic. It was the first time in a long time where she felt like she truly belonged somewhere. She was _happy_. 

That all came crashing down when her mom told her they were moving. 

Any other time they moved it didn’t affect Gina as much. She was never big on making friends and was focused on being the best. But East High? The theatre kids were like her family. The thought of leaving them behind and starting all over again broke Gina’s heart.

Leaving Ricky behind is what hurt the most.

When she got home she cried, wishing things could be different.

_I wish.... I don’t know what to say_

When EJ called Gina and told her he got her a plane ticket, she thought she was dreaming. She realized she wasn’t when she was sitting in the airport, waiting to board her flight back to Salt Lake City. Gina was excited to see all of her friends again, but she was also nervous.

Especially about seeing Ricky again.

He texted her a lot after she left and she ignored his texts as much as it hurt her too. Moving meant pushing people away, and she couldn’t hold onto Ricky if she would never see him again. But now she was about to, and she didn’t even know what she was going to say. Miss Jenn and the rest of the theatre kids welcoming her back with open arms was a relief, and Gina sent EJ a smile of gratitude which he returned.

Surprisingly, Miss Jenn letting her perform her dance solo calmed Gina’s nerves, and her smile was wide as she stepped on stage and heard the cheers from the audience.

But she didn’t know about the audience from behind the curtain, looking at her in awe.

When Gina saw Ricky again, it felt like she couldn’t breathe. Things had shifted between them again, but this time, in a bad way. Something about Ricky was different, and Gina couldn’t help but wonder what he wanted to wish for. He walked out the door, and he took Gina’s heart with him. 

_I’m glad you came back_

Gina didn’t expect to hear those words from him, but they meant more to her than Ricky realized. At that moment, she had a sliver of hope that maybe things between them would be okay.

But then they walked into the auditorium, and Nini’s gaze immediately focused on Ricky.

Gina felt her heart shatter when she watched Ricky and Nini run off together to sing. After seeing the way Ricky was looking at the other girl, Gina knew she had lost her chance.

He was in love with Nini, and he always had been.

_You know what? I just had the craziest idea_

She didn’t expect Ashlyn to offer her a spot in her parent’s guest room. Gina also didn’t expect her mom to agree, but she couldn’t be more grateful. Ashlyn and EJ helped her move in, and as they rambled about how excited she was that she was staying, Gina couldn’t help but feel a little sad. She was going to miss her mom a lot, but she also didn’t know how Ricky would react.

Would he be upset? Mad? Happy? Would he even care?

She got her answer the next day when he saw her at school. A bright smile took over his face and he ran over to her, pulling her into his arms and spinning her around. She laughed and hugged him back tightly as she started to smile as well.

But this time, there were on longing gazes. There were no faint torches or unspoken words.

Ricky put her down and Nini walked up to them, giving Gina a quick hug before kissing Ricky. Gina felt sick when she saw how they were looking at each other and turned away, ignoring the looks of concern from EJ and Ashlyn. They went to class and throughout the day, Gina couldn’t help but steal glances at Ricky every time she saw him.

But wherever Ricky was, Nini was right behind him. 

She couldn’t help but wonder how things could’ve been different if she never left. Instead of delivering bad news when Gina called her during the party, her mom would’ve been laughing along and making jokes.

She would’ve had her first sleepover.

Gina and Ricky would spend more time together and maybe, eventually, things between them would grow into something more. Ricky would take her to the skatepark and teach her how to skate. Gina would drag him to the dance studio and try to teach him more dances. Ricky would write a song about her.

They would have their first kiss.

Gina would knit Ricky more things as their own inside joke and they would go on cute dates. They would fight, because of relationship is perfect, but they would make up. Ricky would be her person, and she would be his.

But that’s not realistic now, is it?

Ricky and Nini were good together. She was happy for them, really. But that didn’t stop her from feeling as bad as she did.

Ricky Bowen went from being her first friend, to being her first crush, to being her first heartbreak. 

_So this is for Gina? I thought she moved away_

But what Gina didn’t know, and would never know, was for every new memory Ricky made with Nini, Ricky couldn’t help but wonder how different things would be with Gina.

They could’ve fallen in love. But life had other plans. 

**Author's Note:**

> :')


End file.
